The present invention relates to cleaning implements, and in particular to powered devices for cleaning hard surfaces, such as wood and vinyl floors commonly found in homes and/or residential living quarters.
Household cleaning materials are well known, as is their use with cleaning pads. Powered devices have been developed to make easier the process of applying such materials, and to improve cleaning efficacy of heavily soiled surfaces. Several such devices comprise electrically powered hand-held apparatus. Some of such devices involve linear reciprocal motion and/or orbital motion of cleaning pads or sponges. Each of these powered devices generally includes a housing containing a drive motor with a rotating shaft that either rotates or reciprocates (in a straight horizontal or orbital path) a cleaning head, via suitable coupling between the rotating, vertically oriented, drive shaft and the cleaning head.
Some devices involve attached replaceable cleaning pads to the cleaning head, for example, using hook and loop attachments, such as Velcro® brand fasteners (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,405).
Other devices employ separately contained cleaning/polishing compounds applied to the cleaning head or directly to the surface being cleaned. Still others incorporate such compounds within the device or within the pads, for example, by pre-impregnating pads that are attached to the heads. However, there is no known powered cleaning device with a mop-styled handle, which utilizes the combination of dual motored, induced direct up and down, i.e. vertical plane oriented, vibration to enhance efficacy of the cleaning agents and/or cleaning pads secured to mop heads.
Accordingly, such an improved powered cleaning device would be useful, particularly for cleaning hard surfaced floors.